Sounds of Change:: A FFIV Story
by 0-Krimson-Kunoichi-0
Summary: Instead of Cid being alive when Celes wakes up, he's dead. Not to mention it's been another three years. So with five years since the cataclysm, a raft, an urge to find her companions, and a new friend, what can an ex-general do?
1. Prolouge

Deep, even breathing was all that could be heard on Solitary Island. Deep, even, inhale, exhale. It matched the rhythm of the waves that crashed on the cliffs, and only the occasional gulls cry broke the rhythm. Three years before, Cid had died. His last strength had been put into writing a journal, front to back, about the things that had happened since the days of the cataclysm. In case she ever woke up, he included details about the raft. His last motions had been to lay the book on her chest, then laid her hand over it. And then he had thrown himself off of the cliffs that so many others had taken their lives on.

And the three years passed, Celes's magic being the only thing that sustained her life. Until her mind deemed her body ready, she drifted in a dark, haunting, yet somehow comforting place. And when her body finally woke, her amber eyes fluttered open, her hand clutching at the thing beneath it. The book. Weakly, with only an ounce of strength left in her long sleeping body, she sat up, looked at it, and opened it.

"Grandad." She said, surprised to hear herself say it out loud. Tears filled her eyes as she read the book front to back, shaking as she read the final words. Her last goodbye.

_I don't want you to wake up to my rotting body, so I've thrown myself off of the northern cliffs like all of the others before me. I hope you wake up to read this, Celes. I love you, my daughter. Live, love, be happy, and if you can, knock Kefka on his rump. You should see how hard I'm laughing right now. Well, I don't know if you can hear me. I'm sitting right next to you. Take the raft I told you about and go find those friends of yours. I'm sure they miss you. And good luck with that boy, oh, what was his name...I don't remember. Find him, Celes. Tell him. For me, okay?Love, Cid (Grandad)_

She stood up, stumbling slightly, before going to look at the raft that was supposed to be her salvation. "Why didn't you take it? You could have gotten help, Grandad. You weren't supposed to leave me here alone." Her eyes misted over as she walked outside, the gentle breeze and ocean scent overwhelming her senses. The silence was driving her mad. Nothing but the soft inhale, exhale of the waves. A burst of energy carried her to the edge of the cliffs, where she sat for a moment, wrapping her arms around herself and sobbed for all of the people who had done what she was about to, throw themselves to their deaths. She refused to live on while others had died, and she had no idea how long it had been since Cid had thrown himself off. It could have been decades. She could be 40, and she'd never know. But the fact that she was alive taunted her. Finally, with a silver tear streaking alone down her face, she let herself fall, enjoying the wind zipping through her fingers as she fell. And nothing broke the rhythm as she hit the water.


	2. Drifting

"Am I dead yet?" She asked no one as she opened her eyes to the bird that stared her down like something to eat. "Have you been watching me this whole time, little bird?" She asked it, sitting up. Startled at her sudden movement, the bird hopped backwards, and only then did she see the bandana wrapped around the torso of the creature. "Where's the man who gave you this, little friend? Can you take me to him?" She asked, feeling stupid. But the fact that she had thrown herself off of a cliff and survived told her that she had some bigger part to play in this world, and she was going to have to deal with it.

The bird cackled, shaking hard before it flew off. Celes looked up and shaded her eyes with her left hand as she watched the bird, eyes widening as the bandana flew off. With a shout, she splashed into the water, closing her hand over it as she fell, choking on sea water. "He's alive. Locke is alive..." She said, clutching the cloth to her heart as she walked back onto the beach. "Now, about that raft..."

!!

Cyan jumped at the arrival of the carrier pigeon. It had been weeks since his correspondent, Lola, had written him, so he opened the letter quickly, wondering what her excuse for not writing for so long. His eyes widened at the words scrawled onto the paper.

_Dear friend,_

_I'm sorry I have to be the bearer of bad news, but the recent attack on Maranda has cost Lola her life. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but as one of the few survivors, I'm afraid I've been trying to live. I'm sorry for your loss. Remember, lad, that she's in a better place than this tormented world, and that we all must die at some point in time. I want you to know, too, that Lola was happy that you wrote her, even though she knew that you weren't her beloved. She told me once that it was nice to know that someone cared enough to waste their life writing to her. I'm afraid her love never said thou. Should you ever come to what remains of Maranda, please, ask for me. Lola requested that if you ever came, to give you a gift in her name. Thank you for making her happy, and thank you for caring._

_Sebeka _

Tears filled his eyes, and he cursed Kefka again. Writing to Lola had been his reason for existing, for living. Now he had nothing. Kefka had taken his family, his comrades, his friends, everything. Now there was nothing in his life but his sword, his village, and the hunger. With a sigh, he picked up his sword and went to go do something about his hunger.

!!

Celes closed her eyes against the blaring sun. Three days on the raft, falling off twice, no food, and a sunburn did not make a happy ex-general. And there was yet to be any land in view. She laid back, ignoring the rocking waves. She opened her eyes, staring at the lonely cloud that was her landmark.

Her staring was interrupted by a something huge passing underneath her, a massive shadow passing above as she looked down. The giant bat thing clawed at the water not a hundred feet away, shrieking in pain as something with tentacles latched onto it's leg. A massive cry of pain made her cover her ears, ducking as blood spurted from the leg. A giant splash made a wave begin, carrying her raft away from the battling creatures as she covered her head still, wondering how things that huge had suddenly appeared.

'Not suddenly', she reminded herself. It had been two years since the cataclysm when Cid had died, and she had no way of telling when that had been in relation to now. She fell unconscious as the wave carried her to something that looked very familiar... a port city, she could tell, but which one? Coming closer as she faded away, she saw Albrook, or what was left of it, for the first time since the end of the world, and there wasn't much to see.


	3. Meetings

"Mom! She's waking up!" The child's voice was what had drawn her from her slumber in the first place, but Celes made no comments as a young woman walked into the room. "Hello, miss. I'm glad to see you're okay! When the men brought you in, I was afraid they'd given me a corpse! I'm Angela , and that was my brother, Antony." Angela said, smiling at Celes. "I'm Celes, ma'm." She said, returning the smile.

"Here we are. You look like you haven't eaten in years, my dear!" Angela handed her a bowl. "I'm sorry it's not much. Since the cataclysm, we haven't had much." But Celes was staring at the bowl. "Is this fish stew?" She asked, and Angela looked at her. "Yes, but it's quite watered down. If you want me to get you something different, I'm sure I can look, but..." "No, that isn't necessary. I was asking because fish stew is my favorite!" Celes laughed, taking the bowl and taking a big bite. "Ah. I love it! You are my favorite person in the world!!" Celes said as she continued eating. Angela laughed, and kept laughing until Celes was done eating.

"Um, Ma'm, I don't mean to be rude, but how long has it been since the cataclysm?" Celes asked as Angela whiled a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry. Call me Angela. I'm only 22 - not a ma'm quite yet. And it's been five years. Why do you ask?" She chuckled. "I'm sorry. I've been asleep on an island for years. Five, I guess. Could you tell me what's happened? I went into some sort of magical comatose..."

"Ah. I see. So you are the General Celes from the Ghestalian Empire. Lord Cyan talks about the old days, and you're a touchy subject." Angela chuckled, and Celes stared at her again. "Cyan? Swordsman guy, about this tall, says 'thou'?" She asked, standing up. Angela nodded. "Where is he? I have to see him!!" She said, growing excited.

"He's out hunting for the village. He kind of took over caring for us when the light hit... He should be back by the time I finish filling you in." Angela said, smiling. Celes sat back down. "I'm sorry. I just got over eager to see an old friend. Ah!" Celes said, a look of alarm crossing her face. "What? Is something wrong?" Angela stood up with a start, stubbing her toe on a chair. "Oh... Must not curse, children might hear me... Must not curse, children will hear me..." She said, sitting back down and breathing deeply. "Sorry. I just realized that I'm, like, almost 30! And wait... Why did your brother call you Mom earlier?" Celes looked confused.

"Well, all of my younger brothers call me mom. Antony was the last one born, and Mom died giving birth to him. And since I'm the only girl out of sixteen, I got the honorary mother position." Angela said, chuckling at her new found friends expression. "Yes, sixteen. I have fifteen brothers. The oldest is now 38, then 36, 35, 31, 29, 27, 26, skip to me, 17, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, and Antony is 6." Angela rattled off the numbers like it wasn't odd to have so many siblings.

A ray of light came in through the open window, and Celes really looked at Angela for the first time. In the dark of the hut, she had looked quite average, but as you put a prism in the light and it transforms, so did Angela. The plain dish water blonde hair now was streaked with reds and browns, a halo of gleaming color framing her face when the sun hit. Cool, amazingly deep sapphire eyes rolled as she kept talking about how odd her brothers were, her lips framing the words perfectly. She was pale, but not sickly so... she was about the same skin tone as Terra.

She was wearing average clothes, though long sleeves in this heat would drive Celes insane. Long black pants made out of a material she had never seen before covered the legs, and the sprint shoes caught her eye. She decided to watch closer, for some indication of how she had come across those shoes.

When Angela threw her hands in the air and said something along the lines of 'What can you do with seven younger brothers to entertain?', Celes caught a look at her hands. The left was bandaged, but the right had a series of blisters, calluses, and cracks that she knew well - a beginner with a sword.

"Wait... Didn't you say that your brothers never let you go out and fight?" She asked, and Angela looked sheepish. "Yeah, but..." She bit her lip, looking out the window. "But you do anyway." Celes chuckled. "Don't tell anyone! They'd skin me alive." Angela looked panicked. "Don't worry, honey. I think it's great. As a matter of fact, I think it's wonderful. You shouldn't have to rely on your brothers for everything." Celes grinned. "But that sword is tearing your hand up, and Cyan will notice. Here." Celes said, taking off her glove. She could get another one in another city.

Angela looked at it like it was a baby. "Thanks. The sword is my worst weapon yet. Anything else, I'm great with. Um... What will you do, now that you've awakened?" Celes looked down at her now bare hand. "Well, I'm gonna knock Kefka on his rump." She said, and Angela looked alarmed. "How in the _hey_ do you plan to do that? He's a god, sitting up there with his warring triad. _No one _can touch him. And you're gonna get yourself killed trying by yourself. I'll convince Cyan to go with you. He'll be pissed off, but that's okay." As she finished her statement, there was an explosion of noise outside.

"Cyan is back!" "He brought lots of food!!" "Cyan!" "Master Cyan!" "How was your trip, Master?"

Angela smiled. "Come on, Celes." She couldn't hold back her laugh. It seemed like forever since she had seen one of her friends, even if it was only Cyan. Who didn't really count as a friend- more like an acquaintance.

"Cyan! Hey! Look who we found!" Angela's voice stood out, mainly because it was the only female voice in the group. As Celes looked around and counted, the entire town was made up of Angela's brothers and four other guys. Had she really been living in a town as the only woman for five years?

The wrinkled samurai turned to look, his face instantly turning to the oddest expression. It was confusion, then hope, and then finally, a kind of joy. Celes could only stare. He looked so... dead. Not like a zombie, no, she had had her fill of zombies, but like someone had ripped out his soul and hung it to dry. "Hey!" She said finally, after Angela had elbowed her in the ribs.

"Lady Celes! I had feared all of my comrades dead! How have you managed to find our little settlement?" He asked, and Angela laughed. "Go ahead, Celes. Tell him." She said, and received a glare. "I was washed in on the morning tide yesterday morning." She said, and he laughed. "Well, you are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. It would be nice, having someone else who knows how to fight along side me." He said, and Celes shot Angela a look. He followed her gaze, his eyes falling on her bandaged hand.

"Miss Angela, what have you done to yourself?" He asked, laying the bag he had been carrying down. The boys and men had long since taken the carcasses he had brought and gone to take care of them.

"I burned myself with breakfast this morning." She said, and Celes laughed. "No she didn't. Take off the glove, Angela. Show Cyan your handiwork." "You promised you wouldn't tell!" Angela was instantly nearly in tears. "What exactly is going on?" Cyan asked, looking confused as Angela ripped off the glove and held out her hand. "Thanks a lot, Celes. Now I'll never leave this village again." She muttered as Cyan's eyes lit up with understanding.

"I'm guessing that your brothers have no idea." He said, chuckling. "Just don't get killed, or caught. Maybe I can teach you how to actually use that sword one day." He said, and she smiled. "Really? You won't tell?" Her eyes lit up. "I feel like a teenager again. Asking permission for everything." She laughed.

"I won't tell." He laughed. She made a face as she sniffed the air. "Oh, those idiots! They have no idea how to cook!" She said, yelling at the brothers she was hiding her secret from as the flaming hunk of meat that was fouling the air fell into the fire.

"Is she really the only girl here?" Celes asked, smiling as she watched the flame be extinguished. "I'm afraid so. All of the other women perished when the Light of Judgment hit. So I've heard. I wasn't actually here. At that time, I was in Zozo." He said, and looked at Celes. "She's treated like a princess here. I'm glad she's learning how to fight - she needs something she can do that her brothers can't beat her at. And trust me, none of them could. Well, Antony is showing some skill with stick fighting, but that's it." They both chuckled.

"I'm going to go and-" A high pitched scream cut through the air.

Both of them turned and looked at the group, where Angela was standing, soaked, over Antony, who was writhing in pain. The burn on his hand was severe. "What's happened?" Cyan asked as they rushed over, where Angela was glaring a teenage boy. "Marcus, he wasn't on fire. There was no need to dump water on us." She scowled at him. "Here, here, sweetie. Let Auntie Celes fix that for you..." Celes said, kneeling so that she could pick Antony up. The simple Cure spell she used made everyone stare at her.

"What?" She asked, looking at Angela. "Sorry. Cyan's just the only person we've ever seen that can do magic. You gotta teach me how to do that." She said, ringing some of the water out of her hair. "Sure, why not?" Celes laughed.

"Mom!! There's someone coming!!" Angela looked up where a young child was pointing. From the angle the people were coming from, they'd still be invisible, but not for much longer. "Everyone, into the houses! Now!!" Angela's voice rang strong and clear over the sudden mayhem. And then it was silent, everyone in what appeared to be their designated hiding place.

"Hello?" A man's voice called out. "Is anyone here? We're the survivors from Tzen. Is anyone alive?" Celes could barley believe her eyes. "Cyan! Is that Sabin?" She asked in a hushed whisper. "I believe it is! Give me a moment, children." He said in a normal, but hushed tone.

"Would thy name be Sabin, sir?" He asked before he stepped out into the 'street'. "Cyan! Man! You're alive!!" Cyan was then wrapped in a 'bear' hug. "Hey, Sabin!" Celes stepped out behind Cyan and was smothered. "Two in one day!! What the hey! I thought everyone was dead! I joined caravan with the survivors from Tzen and Mobliz. How many people are here?" He asked, and Celes started counting on her fingers. "16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23... Including the two of us." She laughed as Angela stuck her head out of the door. "Who's he?" She asked, and Cyan turned his head to look at her. "Miss Angela, this is Sabin. Sabin, Miss Angela. It's alright, everyone! Come on out!" Cyan's shout made Angela jump.

The sudden mass of energy made Sabin look around. A bunch of guys, aged from 40 to 5, it appeared. "Well... Wow. Are there really no other chicks here?" He looked around again, then looked at Angela. "You must have your work cut out for you. Would any of you guys be interested in joining the caravan? We're systematically going to every village and town in the world, finding survivors from the light." Sabin sounded like the entire speech had been rehearsed.

"Actually, I was going to find some sort of help in knocking Kefka on his rump." Celes said, causing Cyan to jump. "Lady Celes! Such language is not proper for a lady! But your message is clear. And... I'm sorry, Miss Angela, but you and the others will have to live on without me. I intend to join Lady Celes." He said, and Angela nodded. "And there I was afraid I'd have to talk you into going. Hey, can I talk to the caravan leader?" Angela asked, looking from Cyan to Sabin. "Sure, I guess. She's in the cart still. And hey yeah, I'm coming along! We can gather the old team back together!" Sabin punched the air.


	4. Allies

Angela knocked softly on the door to the steel cart, smiling as the door opened. An older woman smiled back, telling her to come inside and help herself to some of the cookies on a plate. "Ma'm... I won't waste your time, okay? I want my brothers to join the caravan." She sighed, waiting to be shot down. "How many brothers do you have, darling?" The woman asked, reaching for a cookie herself.

"Fifteen." She laughed at the woman's gasp. "Fifteen able-bodied men? Of course they'd be welcome! But dear, what will you do?" She asked, and Angela smiled at her nibbled on cookie. "I'm going to follow them and eventually join them, after we get to a point where they can't just ditch me." The elderly lady nodded. "Well, I was wondering when Sabin would go off on his own like this. And those other two, they were Cyan and Celes, right?" Angela nodded. "You look like you'd be good with daggers. And as a matter of face, I have a pair here that I'm not going to be using any time soon. And an outfit for you. Don't give me that look. I'll make your brothers pay for it." She continued to pull out random knick knacks, all of which she was insisting Angela take. Just by looking, she could see a pair of silver handled Flame Daggers, a set of burn proof gloves, a blue tunic that would 'match your eyes perfectly, darling!', a princess ring, a headband, an amulet, and three magicite stones. But she had no idea what those were.

"There is no way I can take all of this. Not for free!" Angela looked down at her gil pouch, which was sadly very light and silent. "Did you like the cookie, dear?" She asked, smiling brightly when Angela nodded. "It wasn't overly sweet, and it had some tang to it... brown sugar?" She asked, and the woman squealed. "That is all the payment I need, dear! You like my cookies!" She said, wrapping all of the stuff up and putting it into a plain brown back pack. She grabbed three more, stuffing them with random things that she said would help them on the trip. "You make sure to tell Sabin that I put that old set of Mythril Claws in here, alright?" Angela nodded, smiling. This old lady was the nicest person she had met in the entire world! "I'm Angela, by the way."

"I'm Catherine. Formerly of Tzen, but no longer." Potions, antidotes, and ethers continued to fly at high speeds into the bags. "I think that should do..." Catherine said, smiling. "I think my brother Antony would love your cookies, just so you know. He's only six. And if any of them start asking for Mom, that's me. My mother died when Antony was born, so I got the honor." Angela said, smiling at Catherine's chuckle. "Everyone in this caravan calls me Baba. I insist you do too, dear! I know we'll meet again, when the world is saved and you're a hero." A hug and three cookies later, Angela snuck the stuff out of the cart and into a corner, covering it with a blanket. Baba had told everyone that she was sleeping in the cart, and that she was not to be disturbed. Celes was slightly peeved that she didn't get to say good bye, but no one else thought about it. Until Antony caught her.

"Mom, what are you doing?" He asked in his toddlers voice, and she immediately shushed him. "Antony, Mom has to go help Cyan and his friends. I want you to be good for me, okay?" She said, and hugged him. He apparently got the message, because he hugged her back, gave her a kiss, and looked her in the eye, saying, "I won't tell." Then he walked back outside and acted like nothing had happened.

The caravan left about an hour later, after the sixty four people had eaten. Then only Celes, Cyan, and Sabin hung around. The stayed for about two hours, discussing places they thought people would be. "We need to go to the Veldt. We know Gau will be there." None of them seemed to think that any of their companions may have died.


	5. Discoveries

When they finally started out, Angela made sure to wait a good twenty minutes to follow. After all, she had four stuffed backpacks to lug along. While she waited, she changed into the outfit that Baba had left her, which was surprisingly comfortable. Black skin tight pants, a long sleeves black skin tight skirt with the blue tunic over it. She left on her sprint shoes, decking the princess ring, headband, and gloves, sliding the daggers into the pockets they had come with, which fastened to her legs. Her final touch was to tie her hair back into a high pony tail, and then she was ready. Her bag was somewhat lighter, so she slid it on first, following with the other three. She ended up looking somewhat like a well dressed Unseelie. "Oi. I better catch up with them fast..." She muttered, starting on her way.

About two hours later, they were a good five miles from her village, and they got into a battle with a couple of Wartpucks. Angela had to keep herself from gagging, especially when Celes got guts splattered all over her. Sabin was poisoned, Cyan was knocked out, and Celes was yelling profanities as she tried to get the acidic guts off of her.

"Wait... Are you telling me that you guys are supposed to save the world? You won't get far like this, you know." Angela laughed as Celes and Sabin jumped, drawing their weapons. "Hey, now, it's me! Angela!" She shrieked as Sabin took a punch. Celes blocked it for her, since she was weighted down with all the bags.

"What are you doing here, Angela? You could be killed!" Celes asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at her. "Says the woman covered in acidic frog guts." She laughed as Celes returned to her task at hand. She dropped the bags. "Baba gave you all that, didn't she? I swear, that woman could run a store with all the junk she has stashed." Sabin grabbed one of the bags and started sifting though it. "I think that's the potion bag..."

Angela opened a different bag, handing Sabin an antidote. He chugged it, then laughed. "Hey, she might be useful after all!" She glared at him as she handed Celes a package of handkerchiefs. "Ah! Thanks, Ang. This stuff is starting to burn..." She muttered the last part. Cyan took about ten more minutes to wake up. He looked around, saw Angela, looked away, and then did a double take. "Miss Angela!? What are you doing here? You were on the cart!"

"Honestly, Cyan, did you think I would let you run off and save the world alone?" She laughed as Sabin chuckled. "She's actually been pretty helpful. I was poisoned, Celes was disintegrating, and you were out cold." He laughed. "We are defiantly out of practice. As a matter of opinion, I think we're pathetic!"

"Well, the fact that the only weapon between the three of you is that crappy old sword Cyan has might have something to do with it..." Angela chuckled, opening her own bag and taking out the Mythril Claws and a Man-Eater, handing them to Sabin and Celes. "Aw, hey yeah! I knew the old hag didn't chuck them like she said she had!" Angela slapped the top of his head. "Ow! Waddid I say?" He said, rubbing his head. "You hit hard for a little woman."

"Oh, I know he didn't just call me little woman…" Cyan had to jump up and knock her down to keep her from jumping him. After about five minutes of fuming, Sabin made another remark about her stature and Cyan couldn't catch her. Sabin was knocked on the head with a Mythril Shield.

Angela glared at him, then looked at Celes and Cyan. "Can I save everyone some trouble and just stab him now?" Cyan laughed, thinking she was kidding, and Celes shook her head. "We may need him one of these days." Angela pouted. "I think it's funny that all of you are supposed to be the legendary heroes of the Returners. You got knocked on your rears by a couple of wartpucks!" she laughed, and Sabin glared at her.

"Like you could have done any better, Mini. Yeah, that fits you. I dub thee Mini!" He roared with laughed as she fumed. "As a matter of fact, I could do better! I've been fighting those things since I was seventeen!" She stomped her foot, making him laugh harder. She turned her back on him, looking at Celes.

"From the stories Cyan's told me, I think that I might have a general idea of where all of the others might be. You've already established that Gau would be in the Veldt. I think that if we listen around for rumors of great treasures, we could find Locke easily. Terra, that's more complicated. She'd go to a place where she would have a role to fill, people that would depend on her, I think. I'm not sure where, though... Relm, probably either in Jidoor with all the stuck up art collectors, or the city of children. I don't know if that place actually exists, but I've heard rumors. Strago, I think he'd be in the one place you'd never look. Mog is in Narshe, I'll bet. Edgar... Maybe South Figaro?" She finished her rant and smiled.

"Good guesses. I think the Veldt would be the closest bet, and Gau is a sweetie. Let's go! Wait... Where would Setzer be?" Celes said, then looked around. looked around. "I dunno." Sabin said, chucking a rock into the thick underbrush. "His airship would make everything easier... Unless we ran into that big bat thing I saw when I was floating." "Deathgaze." Angela said, standing up. "One of Kefka's monsters." She rolled her eyes.

"How do you know all this, Mini?" Sabin asked, and she ignored him. "Mini!" He said, and she turned on him. "If you call me Mini one more time, you idiot, I am going to castrate you!!" She yelled, and Cyan looked at his friend, alarmed. "I will warn you now, Sir Sabin, that she's not kidding." "Fine then, be rude, Mini." He said, then realized what he had done and slapped his hand over his mouth. She balled her hands into fists and grabbed one of her daggers, the heat glowing visibly on the blade. "You were warned, Sabin." She said, trying to tackle him and getting blocked by Celes.

Two attempted fistfights and a dinner later, they were on their way again, Angela up front with Celes and Sabin and Cyan behind them. The journey went undisturbed, Angela laughing uncontrollably every time a Leafbunny attacked. After it got dark, though, she started being quieter. "I think we're being followed, you guys." She said, looking at Cyan. He just nodded. "For about twenty minutes now. If they were going to attack, they would have already." He said, then yelled at Angela, "Look out!"


End file.
